Various types of connectors have been developed for connecting fiber optic cables to optical system components such as active or passive optical devices, or to other optical cables. Most optical fiber connectors are attached to a strain-relief device on the end of the connector opposite the terminated fiber. As the name suggests, the strain-relief device reduces strain on the fiber optic cable and connector, such as, for example, during pulling on the cable, to avoid violating the minimum bend radius of the optical fiber within the cable. Such bending could lead to attenuation and even breakage of the optical transmission component and strength components in the fiber optic cable.
Fiber optic cables include an optical transmission component that carries optical signals to a home or other locations from a connection point (e.g., a local splice box or fiber distribution terminal (FDT)) on the distribution cable in so-called fiber-to-the-X (FTTX) networks. Such fiber optic cables are referred to in the art as “drop cables.” Certain types of drop cables are “flat” drop cables, meaning that the cross-section of the drop cable is oblong to accommodate either a ribbon-type arrangement of the optical fibers therein or to accommodate strength components that run the length of the fiber on opposite sides of the centrally carried fibers. Exemplary drop cables are ROC™, RPX®, SST-Drop™, and ALTOS® Figure-8 Loose Tube cables, available from Corning Cable Systems LLC, Hickory, N.C. A connectorized drop cable is called a “drop cable assembly.”
When deployed in the field, a drop cable assembly can experience a mechanical load that strains the connectorized end of the assembly. The in-plane configuration of the strength components and the optical transmission component gives rise to preferential and non-preferential bend axes that cause the drop cable assembly to twist when subjected to bending about the non-preferential axis. The twisting action places a great deal of strain on the strength components and the optical transmission component that, if not mitigated, can damage the drop cable assembly. Unfortunately, conventional strain-relief members used for other types of drop cables (including round cross-section drop cables) are not capable of mitigating the strain that occurs in a drop cable assembly having a preferential bend axis when the assembly is subjected to a mechanical load over a range of possible operating temperatures.